Other view: Remember the troops serving in Afghanistan

Unless you have family, friends or co-workers in Afghanistan, it's easy to forget sometimes that we're still at war, that we still have loved ones serving in harm's way.

But a story about the Oshkosh-based Army National Guard's 1157th Transportation Company was a stark reminder. The article told how soldiers in the unit are looking forward to the end of their current tour in Afghanistan sometime in January.

What came through loud and clear in the story was the anticipation of returning home, the trials and tribulations they've undergone and the pride they take in accomplishing their missions. The unit's commander, Capt. Christian Menden of Green Bay, noted that in the last eight months, the company received 40 Combat Action Badges and five Purple Hearts in completing 131 missions.

It makes many of our worries seem very mundane when these soldiers' workplace is in an environment where the equipment malfunctions and there's always the possibility of an ambush. It makes our current preoccupation with everything from the impact of going off the so-called "fiscal cliff" to returning ill-fitting Christmas gifts seem pretty minor.

The war in Afghanistan, called Operation Enduring Freedom, was launched in October 2001 in retaliation for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The goal was to rid the country of terrorist training areas and capture or kill leaders of al-Qaida, the group behind the attacks on the United States, including its leader, Osama bin Laden.

But it has been a war without end, lasting 11 years already. In the meantime, the U.S. waged a nearly nine-year war in Iraq before the last of the U.S. troops left the country in December 2011.

President Barack Obama announced that he would reduce the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, turning over control of security to the Afghans by December 2014. Already, more than 30,000 military members have left. Currently, about 66,000 U.S. troops remain as part of an international force of 102,000. Obama has not made it clear how many will remain after the formal combat mission ends.

As the war winds down, U.S. troops can't get home quickly enough, for the toll has been great. At least 2,042 members of the U.S. armed forces have died in Afghanistan; of those, 1,701 were killed in action. Another 18,000 have been wounded there. This doesn't take into account the unfathomable toll this takes on the psyche of those serving there.

The cost has been great but it has not been borne by the majority of Americans.

This isn't meant to make you feel guilty about living your life here in Wisconsin. Instead, it's a reminder that we're still at war, that we still have family and friends serving their country in war zones.